Chapter 5 - Equal Rights: Struggling Towards Fairness
Which of the following are included in the concept of equal rights, or civil rights? - equal access to the opportunities society provides - equal access to public facilities - the right of every person to equal protection under the law - the right of citizens to corporate profits
- equal access to the opportunities society provides - equal access to public facilities - the right of every person to equal protection under the law
The promise made by the phrase "all men are created equal" has done which of the following? - Inspired a hope for eventual equality - Been deemed too abstract as to have any real meaning - Been foundational in legal decisions - Given moral strength to diverse movements
- inspired a hope for eventual equality - been foundational in legal decisions - given moral strength to diverse movements
equal-protection clause
A clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that forbids any state to deny equal protection of the laws to any individual within its jurisdiction.
strict-scrutiny test
A test applied by courts to laws that attempt a racial or ethnic classification. In effect, the strict-scrutiny test eliminates race or ethnicity as legal classification when it places minority-group members at a disadvantage.
reasonable-basis test
A test applied by courts to laws that treat individuals unequally. Such a law may be deemed constitutional if its purpose is held to be "reasonably" related to a legitimate government interest. (Simple: the courts require government only to show that a particular law is reasonable.)
Legal equality for all Americans has not resulted in de facto equality.
African Americans, women, Hispanic Americans, and other traditionally disadvantaged groups have a disproportionately small share of America's opportunities and benefits. However, the issue of what, if anything, government should do to deal with this problem is a major source of contention.
Disadvantaged groups have had to struggle for equal rights.
African Americans, women, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and a number of other groups have had to fight for their rights in order to achieve a fuller measure of equality.
True or false: The idea that "all men are created equal," as stated in the Declaration of Independence, has always been understood to include all people in the United States.
False
What action did President Eisenhower take during the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School?
He federalized the Arkansas National Guard.
Americans have attained substantial equality under the law
In purely legal terms, although not always in practice, they have equal protection under the laws, equal access to accommodations and housing, and an equal right to vote.
equal rights (civil rights)
The right of every person to equal protection under the laws and equal access to society's opportunities and public facilities.
Intermediate scrutiny
a test used by the Supreme Court in gender discrimination cases that places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is unconstitutional
Which of the following was the 1954 landmark case that ended segregation in public schools? a. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka b. Plessy v. Ferguson c. Bailey v. Patterson d. Shelley v. Kraemer Schools
a. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the male only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional? a. United States v. Virginia b. Hoeffel v. Virginia c. Heller v. District of Columbia d. Loving v. Virginia
a. United States v. Virginia
Southern states used a number of devices to prevent African Americans from voting, including which of the following? a. literacy tests b. intelligence tests c. blood tests d. poll taxes e. whites-only primaries
a. literacy tests d. poll taxes e. whites-only primaries
According to the Supreme Court, laws that discriminate between people based on their race or ethnicity are laws that make use of ______. a. suspect classifications b. strict scrutiny c. preferential treatment d. obsolete standards
a. suspect classifications
Which amendment passed after the Civil War granted African American men the right to vote? a. Twelfth b. Fifteenth c. Sixteenth d. Thirteenth
b. Fifteenth
Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), a number of southern congressmen wrote a letter titled the ______, urging state governments to "resist forced integration by any lawful means." a. Brown Manifesto b. Southern Manifesto c. Pentagon Papers d. Southern Strategy
b. Southern Manifesto
In which case did the Supreme Court rule that the male only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional? a. Heller v. District of Columbia b. United States v. Virginia c. Hoeffel v. Virginia d. Loving v. Virginia
b. United States v. Virginia
In general, the Supreme Court has held that gender discrimination in law is ______. a. constitutional if lawmakers acted in good faith when passing a law that treats men and women differently b. almost always unconstitutional c. a constitutional issue only if it involves employment with the federal government d. almost always constitutional because there are usually good reasons for treating men and women unequally in law
b. almost always unconstitutional
Any law that treats individuals differently based on race is subject to the ______ test. a. equal-protection b. strict-scrutiny c. gender-based d. reasonable-basis
b. strict-scrutiny
In 1964, how did the federal government respond to demands for equal rights for African Americans? a. It passed the Voting Rights Act to ensure that African Americans would be able to register and vote in the South. b. It neglected the issue and hoped the African American movement would soon subside. c. It passed the Civil Rights Act, which entitles all persons to equal access to public accommodations. d. It passed a law that only addressed equal access for African Americans on government properties.
c. It passed the Civil Rights Act, which entitles all persons to equal access to public accommodations.
Which type of discrimination is based on the law? a. de facto discrimination b. classless discrimination c. de jure discrimination d. natural discrimination
c. de jure discrimination
Which practices were banned as a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1968? a. discriminatory restrictions for public facilities b. discriminatory restrictions on voter registration c. discriminatory practices in housing d. discriminatory practices in college admissions e. discriminatory real estate practices such as steering African American families to certain neighborhoods f. discriminatory practices in mortgage lending
c. discriminatory practices in housing e. discriminatory real estate practices such as steering African American families to certain neighborhoods f. discriminatory practices in mortgage lending
In a 1947 case, the Supreme Court ruled that because they had no law school for Black students, the University of Oklahoma was ______ to admit Ada Sipuel to its law school. a. encouraged b. asked c. required d. not required
c. required
Rioting broke out in 1957 during ______. a. the march in Selma, Alabama b. sit-in demonstrations in North Carolina c. the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School d. the desegregation of the University of Mississippi
c. the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School
Which term refers to the rights and privileges guaranteed to all citizens under the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments? Multiple choice question. - civil cases - court rights - community rights - civil rights
civil rights
In which year did the Supreme Court rule that forced busing violated student's constitutional right to equal protection under the law? a. 2000 b. 2005 c. 2002 d. 2007
d. 2007
Despite the Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, by the 1970s ______ percent of Black children were still attending schools that were mostly or entirely Black. a. 50 b. 25 c. 75 d. 95
d. 95
A company that has a contract with the federal government to construct a road on federal land institutes policies that ensure that its hiring practices are fair and do not exclude members of minority groups. In this way, the company is complying with _____ requirements. a. redlining b. due process c. preclearance d. affirmative action
d. affirmative action
The 1964 Civil Rights Act banned ______. a. discrimination in voter registration b. racially segregated schools c. discrimination in the southern states d. discrimination in public accommodations
d. discrimination in public accommodations
Which legal test gives government considerable leeway in treating people differently, such as imposing a higher tax rate on upper-income Americans? a. strict-scrutiny test b. favorable-status test c. intermediate-scrutiny test d. reasonable-basis test
d. reasonable-basis test
What clause of the U.S. Constitution was at the center of the argument in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka?
equal-protection clause
suspect classifications
laws that classify people differently on the basis of their race or ethnicity are assumed to have discrimination as their purpose.
In Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court declared that "_____________" but equal facilities do not violate the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.
separate